Switch your Twitch category when a Steam game starts¶

Forgetting to change the category is the classic streamer mistake: you start a new game and spend twenty minutes listed under the old one, where nobody looking for your game can find you. CroStream can see which Steam game you are playing and set your Twitch category to match the moment the game starts. No alt-tabbing, no forgetting.

What you'll build¶

When you launch a game from Steam, CroStream sets your Twitch category to that game. Start ELDEN RING, and your stream is listed under ELDEN RING a few seconds later.

You'll do it the quick way first, with one click on the Steam page, then learn how to build the same thing by hand so you can extend it (for example, to change your title too).

flowchart LR
    G[You start a Steam game] --> T["Trigger: A Steam game starts"]
    T --> M["Macro: Set category to {game}"]
    M --> C[Twitch category updated]

Time: about 5 minutes the quick way, 10 by hand. Level: beginner.

Before you start¶

• CroStream is logged in to Twitch. See Logging in to Twitch.
• Steam is installed on the same computer as CroStream, running, and signed in. CroStream reads Steam's own files on your computer; there is no Steam login or API key to set up.

Step 1: Check that CroStream sees Steam¶

1. In the sidebar, under Connect, click Steam.
2. The bar at the top of the page shows your Steam name and what you are doing: Online, or Playing and a game's name. Below it you see your installed games.

If it says Steam isn't installed on this computer and Steam lives in an unusual place (another drive, say), scroll down to Settings, type the Steam folder's full path into Steam folder (for example D:\Steam) and click Save. If it says Steam isn't running, start Steam.

Step 2 (the quick way): Use the suggested automation¶

1. On the Steam page, find the card Switch your Twitch category with your game. It shows the plan: Trigger: A Steam game starts and Macro: Set category to {game}.
2. Click Create automation.
3. A message confirms Your Twitch category now follows your game. Click Open trigger in it if you want to look at what was made.

That's it. CroStream made a macro called Set Twitch category to the Steam game and a trigger called Steam game starts: set Twitch category, and the trigger is already on. The card disappears once the automation exists.

Step 2 (by hand): Build it yourself¶

Building it yourself shows how it works, and lets you add more steps. Skip this if you used the quick way.

1. Click Macros, then New macro. Set Name to Category from Steam.

2. Filter the palette for category and click Set category (in the Twitch section). In Category, type {game}.

   {game} becomes the name of the game you started. Twitch is asked for a category with that exact name first; if there is none, CroStream uses the closest match Twitch suggests.

3. Click Save.

4. Click Triggers, then New trigger. Set Name to Steam game starts.
5. Under When, open Event and pick A Steam game starts (under Steam). Leave Game empty so it fires for any game.
6. Under Then run, pick Category from Steam, then click Save.

Check it works¶

1. Open the trigger and click Test. CroStream pretends a game started: the game you are playing, or a sample game if you are not playing anything. Your Twitch category changes to it. Check it on your Twitch dashboard or in the Controls window, which shows the title and category while you are live.
2. For the real test, close your game, then start it again from Steam. Within a few seconds the category changes.
3. Open History to see the run and which category was set.

Troubleshooting¶

Next steps¶

• Set a "Just Chatting" category when you close the game, with a trigger on A Steam game stops.
• React when you take a Steam screenshot (F12 by default) with the A screenshot is taken event, for example by dropping a stream marker.
• Show what you're playing on your Discord profile while live: Show "Live on Twitch" on Discord.
• Everything the Steam page can do: Steam.